Thousands of police have been deployed in Jerusalem as Muslims prepare for Ramadan amid ongoing battles between Israel and Hamas. The Old City, home to the Al Aqsa mosque compound, is a flashpoint for trouble and was a starting point of the last war in 2021. The current war, now in its sixth month, began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel, resulting in numerous casualties.
Thousands of police have been deployed around the narrow streets of the Old City in Jerusalem , where tens of thousands of worshippers are expected every day at the Al Aqsa mosque compound, one of the holiest sites in Islam. The area, considered the most sacred place by Jews who know it as Temple Mount, has been a long-standing flashpoint for trouble and was one of the starting points of the last war in 2021 between Israel and Hamas , the Islamist movement that controls Gaza.
That 10-day conflict has been dwarfed by the current war, which is now in its sixth month. It began on Oct. 7 when thousands of Hamas fighters stormed into Israel, killing some 1,200 people, by Israeli tallies
Police Jerusalem Ramadan Israel Hamas Al Aqsa Mosque War